With my dog Lenny having been recently mentioned in the national press (I stand up to the insurance industry, try to reform health care, and put forward an agenda for Delaware’s kids, and when the national press needs to summarize my campaign in one sentence they use my dog???), I thought it would be useful to address some frequently asked questions about Lenny.

Why did you get Lenny? Contrary to popular myth, I did not get Lenny because I thought having an adorable, personable dog would endear me to voters. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. But I bought Lenny because I had two pugs when I was growing up (by the names of Muggsy and Hank), and many of my best memories of being a kid involve my dogs. So when we found out that Michele was pregnant, we went out and got Lenny in order to let the boys grow up with him.

Why is he named Lenny? He is named after former Phillies standout Lenny Dykstra. Let me say for the record that the Mitchell Report had not been issued at the time that we named Lenny, and we thought Mr. Dykstra’s performance in the 1993 Phillies championship season was the result of rigorous off-season training.

Who Does Lenny Love The Most? Mrs. Denn. This is a grave injustice. I slept on the floor with Lenny when he was a frightened puppy, I am the one who feeds him breakfast at 3:00 a.m. when he decides that he is hungry, more often than not I am the one who gives him his walk at night. But he clearly loves my wife the most.

What Is His Favorite Food? There is no food that Lenny does not like, and unfortunately this includes things that most of us would not even consider food such as dirt, paper, and…well, I’ll just stop there.

What Is Lenny’s Favorite Campaign Event? No contest: the Apple Scrapple Festival in Bridgeville.

What Is Lenny’s Least Favorite Campaign Event? Any July 4th parade involving temperatures over 90 degrees and walks of over ½ mile.